*Tap Tap* Anyone Still Out There?

Cough, cough…*clears throat and cracks knuckles* Did dust just fly up from the keyboard? I know I’ve been away forever. I’ve wanted to come back here and share a bit of our crazy life on the prairie with you folks, and I know a few of you who I know and love in real life have shared that you have been missing the blog. Here I am to give it another shot. I am not making any promises on frequency, length, or general direction the blog is going to take. Mostly, I just need an outlet. Ha!

Let me just give you a brief run down of what’s happening in our world. I went back to work in September 2015, part time in a multi-practice doctor’s office (the doctor’s are all brothers, and the main office is based out of a tiny rural hospital their father founded in the 1950’s.) In the spring of last year, I was asked to come on full time, which I accepted. I was the “floating” receptionist – meaning I traveled to any one of the 5 offices (soon to have a sixth!) for my shift that day. In December of this year, I was asked to if I would be interested in becoming the sole receptionist at our second busiest office. After some discussion with the Hubs, I made the move. I now have a 62 mile round trip commute every day, but at least I don’t always feel like I’m in someone else’s personal space.

Bug & Pally have been involved in 8 billion different things with and through school, including two musicals – Once Upon a Mattress, and Nice Work if You Can Get It – their regular extracurricular activities, such as band for Pally, Scholastic Bowl for both, and various other clubs and groups. Bug even joined track this year. Both girls have had the privilege of attending RYLA (Rotary Youth Leaders Award retreat), Bug was awarded a spot at Teens Experiencing Nursing Camp last year, and both kiddos are on the yearbook committee. And both girls are permitted drivers. Brace yourselves for a shock: Bug graduates in a few short weeks!!!!!!! How is that even possible? She was accepted to her school of choice, a community college near the Grands that will allow her to live with them while going to school, they have a spectacular nursing program (my girl wants to be a trauma nurse), and for her to graduate college with no debt! That was one of her main goals. So mature, for someone so young. Pally still has two years of school left. Crap, are we getting old, or what?

The Hubs is still OTR, which we all hate, but it pays the bills….most of the time. This year has been rough, fiscally. The semi has been in the shop more than it has been on the road this first quarter. Hubs told me the other day that he had only driven about 25,000 miles since the first of the year. That’s a pretty low number for what he does. However, we were able to pay off another truck lease, so officially the Big Gray is ours. So, that is a plus in the long term.

In other family news:

Grampy has officially retired. He is planning on on spending most of the girls spring break with us next week. It will be nice to have him here. We are blessed that my parents only live a few short hours and a couple hundred miles away. They come down as often as they can. Mumsie (my MIL) on the other hand lives a bit further away, and it isn’t quite as easy for her….I know she misses out on a lot with the kids with our crazy, hectic schedules.

We were also able to go home for Christmas this year, which is a feat in and of itself, with the Hub’s job schedule. It was wonderful. We even got to see all the nieces & nephews at Christmas, and almost all of the in-laws. As you may know, I have no siblings, but the Hubs is the middle of 5, so I have brothers & sisters now, and 8 nieces and nephews! (My newest niece made her arrival yesterday morning around 10 am, about 11 weeks too early, at 2.5 pounds, so if you want to throw out prayers, good thoughts, or good vibes to your chosen deity, universe, what have you, they would be appreciated.) I actually spent a good deal of this morning looking for itty-bitty knit hat patterns I could whip up to send for our little spit fire. I can’t imagine what my BIL & SIL are going through, as I can’t stop thinking about itty-bitty baby E. Or her big brother O-man. ❤ ❤

Okay, I have to think about something else for a few minutes….Did we have Hans Monroe Whitman when I faded out from blogging? He’s our Belgian Malinois-German Shepherd mix, who we adopted from the BIL & SIL mentioned above. He’s a horse! They brought him to us at 9 weeks old. So we have two male dogs and two male cats (my special girl, Mommy Kitty disappeared last summer) and a intermittent outside foster kitty from the barn down the lane. We have a regular old fur-menagerie. Oh, and 3 fish! Spencer the carnival prize is still alive after almost 3 years. I think he’s immortal.

As far as my craft hobbies go…there are a TON of UFO’s laying around. I’ve taught myself to crochet, and started a temperature afghan on January 1st, I’ve knitted a couple of hats, and finished not much of anything else. I did help one of my “big kids,” that’s what I call Bug’s & Pally’s older friends from school, sew her prom dress last year. Well, she bought the top, created her own pattern for the skirt, cut & pinned and then I just sewed it for her. So nothing really exciting to show you. Hopefully, in the next few weeks I’ll have some fun fiber projects to share.

That’s a rundown of the last two years of life on the prairie. What’s up with y’all?